Retail experts are expecting more Americans to shop on Black Friday and through the weekend this year compared to a year ago.
According to the National Retail Federation, nearly 2 million more people are expected to shop from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday this year even as consumers have continued a trend of starting their holiday shopping earlier in the year.
On Black Friday, the NRF projects 64% are likely to shop in stores; up from 51% last year.
The expected increase is welcomed by small businesses in North Texas.
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Allison Scott with Apricot Lane Boutique said business is doing better this year, though there are still challenges.
“It’s not pre-COVID better but it’s better than it was last year, and we’re seeing it trending up but it’s still hard,” Scott said. “It’s still hard to get enough product in and at the same prices that we were, so we just have more hurdles than we did in the past.”
Still, Scott said there is hope for the rest of the holiday season.
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“We really rely on those days where all the shoppers come out looking for those deals. So, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, those leading into the Christmas season… those are really big days for us,” Scott said. “It’s the final stretch of the year. It’s the biggest part of our year. It’s where we make our numbers and most of our sales are in that stretch.”
At Mosaic Makers Collective, Katy Sensenig Schilthuis said they also have high hopes both of their shops. One is located in the Bishop Arts District and the other is at Galleria Dallas.
“Once the stores opened again, it was a slow crawl as people started to venture back out. But this holiday season has been incredible. We are already seeing people shopping, shopping early,” Sensenig Schilthuis said. “When you’re shopping small and shopping local, you’re making a difference in an individual’s life. That individual who is a wife or a mother and not just an artist. It really allows them to do things like put turkeys on their tables for Thanksgiving Day.”
While Thanksgiving weekend will be busy, 61% of those surveyed by the National Retail Federation had already begun their holiday shopping. That figure is a slight uptick from 59% last year but up from 51% a decade ago in 2011.
